1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sports apparatus, and is more particularly concerned with a cage for confining baseballs and the like.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In games such as baseball, softball and the like, it is common for players to utilize a cage or other such confining means to restrict balls that are thrown, for example, to a batter. In practicing for a game, a batter will stand in a particular position while either a person or a machine throws balls repeatedly to the batter. If the batter does not hit the balls, the balls must be retrieved unless there is some retaining means. Thus, one generally has a backstop or cage of some type to restrict the balls thrown to the batter. During a ball game, one also uses some form of backstop both to restrict the balls for the sake of the players, and to protect the spectators from such balls.
It will be understood that, in permanent stadiums designed for baseball or the like, one will generally have a permanently installed backstop to limit the balls to the playing field; however, unless the field is permanently dedicated to baseball and softball, such a backstop may interfere with other uses of the field and not be allowed.
In the past, there have been efforts at providing a batting cage that can be put into place when needed, and removed when not needed. Such batting cages have generally taken the form of a conventional batting cage of the type that might be permanently installed, but instead placed on wheels so the batting cage can in fact be moved from the practice location. While such a batting cage might be called "portable", any portability is limited to the one field since it is totally impractical to move the batting cage from one geographical area to another. Other batting cages that might be called portable include the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,304 which is mounted on a large truck. While this device is in fact portable, the batting cage is not removable from the bed of the truck, so it is not usable on existing fields as a normal batting cage. Another portable batting cage is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,736. Again, this device includes an elongated member that cannot be put behind the normal home plate of a baseball diamond, so it cannot be used as a normal backstop or batting cage. Other portable batting cages include lightweight frames that cannot withstand the heavy duty use in a baseball game or the like.